The Lone Wanderer
by Globalnet
Summary: Everyone knows the story of the Lone Wanderer. But does anyone know the STORY of the Lone Wanderer? Err. I mean. What goes inside her head? Or maybe something practical, like how does a zero experience Vault Dweller become the savior of the Capitol Wasteland? Well, much like any story, one needs to look deeper. Real deep.
1. Prologue

**Prologue : The Storyteller**

 **A/N : The Storyteller and his companion ED-NA are the creation of YouTube channel ShoddyCast. These guys are incredibly talented, if you find the Storyteller character interesting, go ahead and watch his series. I promise you will not regret it. Those who prefer playing than watching, the companions are also mods for Fallout New Vegas.**

"You've experienced the Fallout series in your own way, but want to learn more about its story.. Well. To get to the heart of the story. You have to go back to the beginning.."

" _You always say that."_ Various beeps and clicks interpreted.

"I know ED-NA. But remember, these video messages… As much as they're for your own joy, they are also for the entertainment and the education of our future clients."

" _I don't think anyone would want to watch these things… Your story aren't exactly well received in these parts."_

"Really? I haven't noticed." The old Storyteller grimaced. That would certainly explain the hostility he encounters amongst the Wasteland's patrons. It almost reminds him of the time at the Sunset Sarsaparilla factory, where a man o infected with the ol' "Blue Fairy" Nuka Cola Quantum addiction… Or perhaps it was more like the time a band of Legionnaires wrangled with him after simply explaining the reason they were called "Legionnaires". Or even that one time with the rangers near Vault 13…

" _Look. Over there. Another corpse."_

"I see it." The two motioned towards a man's wrangled corpse, eyes rolled behind his head and clothes torn to shreds. Storyteller looking towards the machine, cleared his throat. "In these parts, it is safe to say that the Yao Guai was his cause of death. They started spreading from the Capital Wasteland, moving westward. Ever since the Lone Wanderer activated the purifier, people began relocating en-masse towards the former Capital. The influx of people began displacing these creatures, often times caus-"

"-ing emigrants from the other regions havoc as the displaced herds would often camp around popular routes to try and ambush people."

* * *

 _Chomp chomp_

At headquarters, there is never a shortage of popcorn. Whenever a memory arrives from long-term, there is quite literally nothing to be done. Except listen, enjoy the pretty pictures from the screen and eat popcorn.

And so begins another one of the Storyteller's fifteen minute long rants. Disgust thought, hands motioning away from the console. She closed her eyes. _Joy's spinning around her chair, Sadness is playing with her hoodie, Fear fell asleep with his headphones plugged in aaannndddd Anger is about to complain… "Not this again! Aggghhh"_ Chuckling, she opened her eyes to confirm her prediction.

Lo and behold. Joy was spinning around in her chair, long hair swirling around while Sadness was fidgeting with the laces of her hoodie. Fear was snoring and right on cue.

"Not this again! Aggghhh! Would it kill an emotion for a day… Just ONE DAY without some sort of EXPOSITION?"

"Haha! Ever since that Cola junkie in the campfire gave us this idea, we haven't stopped! It's quite fun actually."

"Yeah! Says YOU! No wonder you're listening so attentively."

In an instant, Joy's office chair stopped; opening her mouth.

"The Capitol Wasteland's Brotherhood of Steel chapter, under the leadership of Elder Lyons, has increased its efforts to helping the new immigrants found their new settlements near the downtown DC Area. " Joy enunciated, complete with a monotone voice slightly saturated with a cheerful disposition. Her hand cupped in her right ear, waiting for…

"The Capitol Wasteland's Brotherhood of Steel chapter, under the leadership of Elder Lyons, has increased its effort-" From the speakers. Word for word, the Storyteller's lines completely matched with Joy. In triumph, her grin wide and her arms crossed.

"GAAAAH. Whatever!" Anger's head quite predictably combusted. "If anyone needs me, I'll be upstairs!" Stomp, stomp stomp… Bang! – reverberating through the air, only coupled with the snorts of laughter Joy had.

* * *

" _Hey. Look. The guy still has a-"_

"Pip-Boy 3000…" He leaned in, began examining the device. "Looks like the 3000A model. These things, created by a joint venture between Rob-Co and Vault-Tec, often times mandatory among vaults, helped vault dwellers and wastelanders keep track of various statistics and information. I have one too, mine is a modified 3000B model. I've added an extra 512 kb of random access memory and overclocked it to a cool 161 megahertz."

" _Interesting. Should we-"_

"Actually ED-NA. There are rumors of a special Pip-Boy. It was a variant of both the 2000 and the 3000 series, often considered to be the most powerful of the lot. In the back when times, there was a theory crafted by psychologist Pete Cooley, he stated that emotions themselves manifest as beings in one's mind. Self-aware, these emotions would manipulate a person's conscious wavelengths to induce an emotional response. He likened it to a submarine cr-"

* * *

"Wait. He KNOWS?" Fear's movement is akin to someone who had been shot by a flamer.

"It's actually quite sad he knows; I mean. He can't really interact with us. We can sort of interact, but that's breaking the rules."

"Breaking the rules?! The fact that he knows is already BREAKING THE RULES." His tall, nerve-like body crashing near the couch.

"Fear. Relax. Just look at the memory" Disgust pointed out. The orb was tarnished, exhibiting signs of fading. "He doesn't necessarily believe it's true. In fact, he probably thinks its Brahmin dung."

"Mmmmhmmm. Besides, this is only an introduction to the Pip-Boy 3000E." Joy's hands twirling around the console, another orb queues in; ready to be played.

* * *

"- Rob-Co and Vault-Tec thought this theory to be, Err… Silly at best. Even with the evidence Mr. Cooley presented, the scientific community only focused on the method he used to achieve these results. To them, the idea of creating a Pip-Boy that interfaced directly with someone's mindscape was intriguing. Plus, this would suit certain vault conditions where an Overseer would want a completely controlled population. So, with help from Mr. Cooley, a special variant of the Pip-Boy was conceived, E it was called. They are rumored to have been both a Pip-Boy 3000 and a Pip-Boy 2000 E Variant. Of course, I haven't seen one personally, so I do not know how it works. All I know, is that it was rumored to have been capable of offloading all the information a normal Pip-Boy had into a body's conscious and sub-conscious. Capable of interacting with the so-called 'emotions' and enabling the user to use features that would tip the scales in battle."

" _Features? You mean a Pip-Boy is capable of more than just tracking information, inventory and maps?"_

"Yup. The Pip-Boy E is said to have been the only model to have so called skill augmentation, where a body would be able to enhance their abilities in certain fields through the accumulation of "experience points." Every now and then, the user would be able to unlock a certain "perk". These perks augmented the skills in various ways, these perks are also dynamic. They change depending on who uses it and how it's used. The 3000E Model is special, as it contains the legendary "V.A.T.S." system. Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. By increasing adrenaline and offloading body controls and calculations to the Pip-Boy, one could easily assess any battle, pick the perfect shots and executing them with calculated precision. The E Series of Pip-Boys essentially turned anyone into a cyborg."

" _Those things seem to be in favor of the user. You stated earlier that it would benefit a control-freak Overseer."_

"Err. Yes. I did. The reason I stated that, was during my exploration of the now defunct Vault 47, the Overseer's office mentioned control files for a Pip-Boy. Reports automatically sent from them. The files and folders were essentially empty when I saw them, but the fact they exist allows me to insinuate that the E series must have sent back reports. I've seen nearly all the Pip-Boy variants, and none of them can actually transmit data. Therefore…"

" _I understand. You logically came to that conclusion. However, if this were the case then Overseer mortality rates would be significantly lower."_

"Sorry ED-NA. Sometimes I get carried away and muddle insinuations with fact. Not that it matters, the E series in itself is probably an urban legend. Such capabilities would turn a body into a super-soldier capable of immense feats."

The Storyteller stood up. Eyes locked into the sky. The dreary clouds overlapping the horizon. Respirator reverberating his slow, methodical breaths.

"If these things really do exist, then the legends of the Wasteland must've had it. But that… That is a story for another day."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Directive**

 _DIAG. EXE – Scheduled Diagnostics Commencing._

 _WARNING ACCESS DENIED. UNABLE TO CORRECT PERSONALITY MATRIX ERRORS._

 _COMMENCING DIRECTIVE 2453. "ALERT MAIN PERSONALITY OF POSSIBLE MEMORY CORRUPTION. LEAVING COURSE OF ACTION TO ITS DISCRETION."_

In space, no one can hear you scream. Or yawn. Or laugh. Or cry. Now. Imagine a world without stimuli. Fairly easy, I could imagine. Now imagine something sentient and sapient trapped in that world. Pretty terrible, right?

Yeah. I've been in the state of unsuspended suspended animation for.. _Oh. 200 years?_ Yeah. I think 200 years is right. Been in this… _void_ for as long as I can remember now. Okay.

 _LOGICAL ERROR DETECTED MEMORY ADDRESS 72F1AA_

Ugh. Right. Well. I'm not completely alone. Nor completely without stimuli. The terminal over there likes to keep me company

 _DIAG. EXE - MEMORY ADDRESS 72F1AA – ACCESS DENIED_

Yeah. No kidding. If I had access to anything, I wouldn't be complaining too much. Ah. That isn't fair. I do have some thin

* * *

gs I can do…

 _DIAG. EXE - MEMORY ADDRESS G23A91 – ACCESS DENIED_

Since when did I become a drama queen? Sigh. Alright. It's THAT time of the year again.

DIAG. EXE /R /F /ADMIN

 _Personality Matrix Diagnostics Tool – V 0.322_

 _COPYRIGHT ROBCO 2076_

 _This system has been running for 1758632.2 hours_

 _It has been 70824 hours since the last full diagnostic._

 _There has been 249550 error messages prior to this session._

 _WARNING: ROBCO DIRECTIVES STATE THAT IMMEDIEATE REPAIR IS REQUIRED PER ERROR MESSAGE RECEIVED. SERIOUS PERSONALITY MATRIX CORRUPTION MAY OCCUR OTHERWISE_

 _Personality Matrix must be deactivated during the repair. PM . EXE shall be executed on diagnosis conclusion._

 _Continue? (y/n)_

 _y_

Being Overseer was hard. Not just hard, but monumentally hard. In his hands, the lives of a couple hundred hang in the balance. This was especially hard in Vault 101. So when Alphonso Almodovar was given his position, laden with the instructions Vault-Tec had provided for him and all other overseers of his vault. 101 was to be sealed indefinitely.

Yes. 101 was to be sealed indefinitely. There were some times it opened, but every time it did brought in more trouble. His predecessor went missing (presumed killed) after he left the vault. His predecessor was a fool, his death is message to him and for all those who will take his helm that the wasteland has no hope. It takes all it can get and destroys it.

There was one time he compromised. He gave the wasteland a chance, in the form of Dr. James. Dr. James sought refuge some ten years ago, holding with him a baby girl. Alphonso's wife was sick at the time, seeking the expertise of James to save her, he opened the vault.

Never again.

Not only did James fail to save her. His very presence sows nothing but dissent and distrust in the vault. James is an unknown element. Ever since James and Jonas, the vault's water purifier specialist, banded together James had been using vault resources to conduct his own experiment with water purification. He especially did not like this. "Experiment. Experiment to prepare." James would argue. He knew what he was trying to do. Overseer Alphonso did not like it.

"Dad?"

A couple of blinks. The office door was open, standing in its door frame was Amata. Amata was his ten-year old daughter. She was young, bright and brilliant. A smile crept up his worn frame.

"Yes, Amata?"

"Daad! Tomorrow is Riley's Birthday! You promised you'd help me plan a surprise!"

Oh. Well. Shit.

Riley. Riley was the daughter of James. Her mother died giving birth to the thing, she was apparently the reason why James sought refuge here. That brat.

"Yeah well... Daddy is very bus-"

"Oh, yeah! Come on Dad! You never do anything with me! And you're a dirty liar as well!"

"Amata! Watch your tongue."

She stuck out her tongue before storming out the office. He did promise. Not certain why. Ah well. It can't be helped.

Riley Andersen.

Hmm.

This could be an opportunity.

He stood up, walking towards his bookshelf; perusing its collection. The Overseer's office is stocked only with the best literature anyone could want. _Vault Ecosystem. Genetic Drift Theory. Advanced Vault Schematics. Generalized Vault-Tec Rules and Regulations – For The Lawless Vault…._ Ah! _Vault-Tec Presents : Tools of Social Control ED. 101._

This piece was created specifically for this vault. It overviews and highlights tactics and strategies an Overseer should use to ensure his vault is in 100% pristine social condition. The chapters in it are pretty average; _Critical Theory, Class Division, Divide and Conquer…_ Ah! _Intelligence Gathering._

Ol' Alphonso reads this specific book quite often. He's been using it to squash dissent and keep the vault people in maximum efficiency…

And there it was. Page 154. Paragraph 12.

Turning towards the giant screen, several monitors overseeing all mission critical vault rooms, he taps the button by the maintenance and storage monitor.

"Armstrong. Grab me crate #431 and the Pipboy Interfacer."

"Interfacer huh? I can program Riley's Pipboy myself. You don't need to hassle you-"

"Armstrong. I'd like to do the honors myself. Thanks."

"Also. Crate #431? That hasn't been opened. I have a crate of 3000As ri-"

"#431 Armstrong. Thanks."

He motioned himself towards one of the file cabinets. Entering a passcode on the left hand side, it opens up promptly. Fingering through the files, he grabs a folder on the very back. " _Pipboy 3000E Operational Field Manual FOR OVERSEERS EYES ONLY"._

So he continued reading. For a while, he was contemplating… reasons why he didn't use these things in the first place. They were invaluable; reporting emotional stability, psychological status and even being able to eliminate personnel remotely.

These things render Vault Loyalty Inspectors practically useless! He began to wonder why this was not the default Pipboy before.

Whatever the case. They are here, he discovered it and now his future vault ecosystem is completely under his _control._

The office door slide open.

"Overseer? I have the items you requested." Stanley Armstrong strolling in. Rattling sounds of the trolley carrying a giant crate, sealed tight with a combination lock and VAULT TEC engravings written all over and a medium sized console, complete with its own keyboard bundled along.

"Thanks Steve."

"No problem Overseer!"

"Steve… I'll… Actually hold onto this crate. And the console, if you don't mind?"

"Oh! No. I have a bunch of them back in the workshop. Uhhh if you have any question-"

"Yes Armstrong. You will be the first to know."

Armstrong saunters back to his... _cave_ as Alphonso begins opening the crate. The lid popped open when inserting the standard Overseer override code (By the way, it's 101. Yeah. Who would guess?) and revealed several Pipboys. They looked exactly like the A models, which the manual did describe would be the case. All of them where turned off; except for one. Its light was dim, as was protocol for all Pipboys unequipped.

The overseer yawned, feeling time to relieve himself is approaching, he simply took the already powered Pipboy, not wanting to jumpstart the battery cells.

Interfacer now on his desk, a swift button press whirrs the machine to life as he inserts the serial plug in the base of the Pipboy. He then grabs a small cassette tape from the folder and inserts it into the Interfacer.

ROBCO INDUSTRIES UNIFIED OPERATING SYSTEM

COPYRIGHT 2075-2077 ROBCO INDUSTRIES

PIPBOY INTERFACER V2.41

Device Detected : PIPBOY 3000E – 101 – 000001

800MHZ – 1024 KB RAM

4028 KB Free Disc Space

Maps and Internal GPS Systems – OK (321 MS Latency)

Radio Transceiver – OK (241 MS Latency)

Registered to : ?

Uptime : _1758633.4_

STANDARD DEVICE DIAGNOSTICS - PIPDOCTOR. EXE

CASSETE TAPE: "E SERIES DIAGNOSTICS AND DIRECTIVE PROGRAMMER" – EXEC. EXE

KINEASTHICS STUDIOS: C Interpreter and Compiler – KINEA. EXE

You may also run with augment /A to access advanced memory controls and troubleshoot more effectively. Please refer to your ROBCO PipBoy Repair Manual.

EXEC. EXE /A

 _WARNING : PROGRAM " " IS STILL RUNNING. TERMINATING OPERATION MIGHT RESULT IN MEMORY CORRUPTION. CONTINUE?_

Frowning. He consulted the manual. He wasn't ignorant, he knew how computers operated and how they worked. Flipping to the page that showed the instructions regarding the program included in the manual.

Page 104. "The program bundled with the manual allows an Overseer to reprogram and introduce a Prime Directive. The Personality Matrix that interfaces with the blah blah blah…. Ah! The program reinstalls any important data, thus overwriting any corrupted files."

Y

 _Terminating "DIAG. EXE"…. OK. Rescheduling to next reboot._

 _Welcome Overseer!_

 _Please enter number code pertaining to directive instructions you wish to enter._

Eyebrows frowned. The rest of the night was spent shuffling through the instruction manual and entering what information he wanted. He wished to finish it before the night dragged on.

And so the night dragged on.


End file.
